Interview With Drunken Jesus Part 1
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 1:40 pm
In a two part series..
<b>metaphoric flow: An interview with drunken jesus is a rarity because the man speaks very little as of late. When he does, his commentary is often very critical thus the outspoken producer is not a popular figure online. Recognized for his wit, intelligence, complexity, and arrogance, the man who is perfect only in his own perception, Drunken Jesus, will get his highly anticipated interview. Right now!</b>
<b>metaphoric flow: Its been a while since you last had an interview. What has changed most for the Don?</b>
all killah: Most? probably family life despite all of what you hear raising a kid, so far, isn't as difficult as most people make it out to be, in my situation at least.
<b>metaphoric flow: How can you raise a kid when you're still one at heart and mind? How can you separate the dichotomy of being the Don one minute and a responsible parent the next?</b>
all killah: Shared responsibility helps, that and while still being a kid at heart I'm way smarter than my spawn & way better at sports so that gives me the advantage, for now at least. The life of a don still continues just on a different time schedule.
<b>metaphoric flow: Time is of the essence, how much progress have you made in your career as a producer in the last couple years?</b>
all killah: Musically I've progressed in enormous amounts, I've transformed from somebody who just chopped random samples & drumbeats into instrumentals to somebody who can play mozart on the piano & turn it into a rap beat. I've never really seriously considered being a producer as a career so that hasn't progressed as much cause in my mind its just a hobby that I'm really fucking good at. In this next year you'll be hearing more from me beyond the forum, theirs already some moves that have been made now that you'll probably hear about in 3 or so months time.
<b>metaphoric flow: How has becoming a serious producer changed your view of hip hop?</b>
all killah: It's made me more conscious of songmaking as a whole as opposed to the lyricism first song second view of most internet hip hop fans. And after learning to compose & really write music its also made me more conscious of how simple alot of rap producers are, thats not really a swipe at the genre as most would take it, its just a statement of fact.
<b>metaphoric flow: Who have you produced for on Illest and who do you think utilized your beats the best?</b>
all killah: Specifically for umm... Kurse, HKX, Tramatik, & Viral. I think I may've made some tracks for 8th at some point or another too. Utilized the best? Probably Kurse, I've done the most with him and we have good chemistry so it's not too difficult for both of us to get on the same page and get something done that we're both happy with.
<b>metaphoric flow: Illest seems to be full of half-bright emcees who want to be an instantaneous hit whether that be in writing, battling, or rapping. They are also extremely cocky, for insignificant reasons. How do they become more compelling as emcees, inflate their confidence while keeping their ego in check. Furthermore, how does the Don handle the balancing act or does he fall flat like the others?</b>
all killah: Incrementalism is one way to combat that problem. Instead of doing something they know they can succeed in or something they are almost certain they'll fail in they can test the gray area of their perception something they aren't sure of the end result & proceed from there upwards. Rationally in order to know how good you are you need to properly evaluate how good/bad your colleages/competitors are & then include yourself modestly amongst them. For me it's not so much a balancing act as it is an internal debate I base on me on my opinion on what I'm capable of, what I'm not yet capable of, & what i think i should be capable of. Humility is an asset when their are so many variables out of your control especially in something as subjective as music/writing.
<b>metaphoric flow: Absolutely. I think that humility is key, with that being said, jealously is a strong emotion, how do you navigate accordingly?</b>
all killah: Jealousy is perhaps just as destructive or even more destructive as the narciscism mentioned in the previous question. The simple answer is in art their is no tangible way to be the greatest, no matter what their will always be someone better than you to somebody or to the majority of people & you just need to accept this fact. If their is something you genuinely admire about somebody attempting to acquire what it is isn't a bad thing, but worrying about why they got it or why you don't have it is, worry about getting it not how or why they got it.
all killah: Jealousy is just admiration in disguise the sooner you realize this the better.
<b>metaphoric flow: Hip hop is expression, art is subjective, humility is necessary, jealously is destructive, method is the imperative, dedication should always be pursued. You believe in Jesus's philosophy and follow it strictly. Yet, you're still wack garbage, in the back of your mind, you know it. What should you do?</b>
all killah: First you need to question your motives. Are you doing this because its something you want to do & like doing or are you doing this because its something you've done & don't wanna give up on. If its the first realize cynicism is natural and don't just rely on your opinion because just as it can be bias for you it can also be bias against you find others that are open minded, critical, & objective & see what they think gauge the reaction & proceed from their if they disagree with you strongly maybe you've got the wrong opinion & should continue to progress if they agree with you try to figure out what you're doing wrong & how to change that. If its the second consider maybe its just not for you & gather opinions from others to see what they think. Then just take a step back and see what happens. If you eventually desire to come back to it continue work to improve, & if you don't desire to just let go, your time is probably best spent elsewhere doing something you want to do.
<b>metaphoric flow: How much emphasis do you place on being creative and thinking outside the box?</b>
all killah: Differentiating oneself is important but its a double edged sword being different just for the sake of being different is no different than trying to fit in just to fit in. I think its important to develop a unique style but if you find yourself second guessing your instincts constantly because something seems unoriginal or uncreative chances are you're going to far & need to relax.
<b>metaphoric flow: Many will argue that lyrically you're well-beyond the average artist. Tell us the secret to the Don's writing process also what you notice as weaknesses in others approaches.</b>
all killah: First I figure out what I wanna say and come up with a few lines I wanna incorporate into the verse/track. Then from their I just start writing using the rhyme scheme as the rhythm that keeps everything moving smoothly. I rarely really think too much about specifics after I start writing the verse I've been writing so long that everything just falls into place naturally. I hardly ever change a verse after I finish writing the only thing I really edit is typo's & memory slips where instead of writing the word I meant to I write something that sounds similar. I think the main weakness alotta others have is they focus too much on one aspect of writing & neglect all others so most of what they write isn't well rounded. Theirs those who just focus on multis and basically just rhyme words with no content, they worry about what rhymes with the previous string as opposed to whats the best way to convey what they wanna say. Then theres those who just focus on writing punchlines and neglect making the verse flow smoothly & having verses that look like they're just random bars pieced together. If you focus too much on one aspect chances are you're neglecting some other aspect thats just as important.
<b>metaphoric flow: Thanks for the incite. I also want to grill you about your audio situation. In our last interview, you claimed to have an EP on the way as well as many declarations in the past. Why haven't we got any recorded material from Drunken Jesus. I also want to know why you think its fair to scrutinize about every aspect of someones audio while not releasing anything for years.</b>
all killah: Mainly loss of interest, I'll start work on something & eventually just abandon it once I get another project in my mind. The main reason you haven't heard anything is only a few things I've done are up to my standard so it doesn't make too much sense to ask for criticism for something I myself notice alotta flaws in. Since I spend most of my free time producing I don't really have alotta time to work on rapping to get to the level where I can release something I'm satisfyed with. & I feel its fair to scrutinize every aspect of someones audio because its the same thing I'd expect of others if I rapped regularly and posted audios, I equate it to getting criticism on beats from people who don't produce.
<b>metaphoric flow: An interview with drunken jesus is a rarity because the man speaks very little as of late. When he does, his commentary is often very critical thus the outspoken producer is not a popular figure online. Recognized for his wit, intelligence, complexity, and arrogance, the man who is perfect only in his own perception, Drunken Jesus, will get his highly anticipated interview. Right now!</b>
<b>metaphoric flow: Its been a while since you last had an interview. What has changed most for the Don?</b>
all killah: Most? probably family life despite all of what you hear raising a kid, so far, isn't as difficult as most people make it out to be, in my situation at least.
<b>metaphoric flow: How can you raise a kid when you're still one at heart and mind? How can you separate the dichotomy of being the Don one minute and a responsible parent the next?</b>
all killah: Shared responsibility helps, that and while still being a kid at heart I'm way smarter than my spawn & way better at sports so that gives me the advantage, for now at least. The life of a don still continues just on a different time schedule.
<b>metaphoric flow: Time is of the essence, how much progress have you made in your career as a producer in the last couple years?</b>
all killah: Musically I've progressed in enormous amounts, I've transformed from somebody who just chopped random samples & drumbeats into instrumentals to somebody who can play mozart on the piano & turn it into a rap beat. I've never really seriously considered being a producer as a career so that hasn't progressed as much cause in my mind its just a hobby that I'm really fucking good at. In this next year you'll be hearing more from me beyond the forum, theirs already some moves that have been made now that you'll probably hear about in 3 or so months time.
<b>metaphoric flow: How has becoming a serious producer changed your view of hip hop?</b>
all killah: It's made me more conscious of songmaking as a whole as opposed to the lyricism first song second view of most internet hip hop fans. And after learning to compose & really write music its also made me more conscious of how simple alot of rap producers are, thats not really a swipe at the genre as most would take it, its just a statement of fact.
<b>metaphoric flow: Who have you produced for on Illest and who do you think utilized your beats the best?</b>
all killah: Specifically for umm... Kurse, HKX, Tramatik, & Viral. I think I may've made some tracks for 8th at some point or another too. Utilized the best? Probably Kurse, I've done the most with him and we have good chemistry so it's not too difficult for both of us to get on the same page and get something done that we're both happy with.
<b>metaphoric flow: Illest seems to be full of half-bright emcees who want to be an instantaneous hit whether that be in writing, battling, or rapping. They are also extremely cocky, for insignificant reasons. How do they become more compelling as emcees, inflate their confidence while keeping their ego in check. Furthermore, how does the Don handle the balancing act or does he fall flat like the others?</b>
all killah: Incrementalism is one way to combat that problem. Instead of doing something they know they can succeed in or something they are almost certain they'll fail in they can test the gray area of their perception something they aren't sure of the end result & proceed from there upwards. Rationally in order to know how good you are you need to properly evaluate how good/bad your colleages/competitors are & then include yourself modestly amongst them. For me it's not so much a balancing act as it is an internal debate I base on me on my opinion on what I'm capable of, what I'm not yet capable of, & what i think i should be capable of. Humility is an asset when their are so many variables out of your control especially in something as subjective as music/writing.
<b>metaphoric flow: Absolutely. I think that humility is key, with that being said, jealously is a strong emotion, how do you navigate accordingly?</b>
all killah: Jealousy is perhaps just as destructive or even more destructive as the narciscism mentioned in the previous question. The simple answer is in art their is no tangible way to be the greatest, no matter what their will always be someone better than you to somebody or to the majority of people & you just need to accept this fact. If their is something you genuinely admire about somebody attempting to acquire what it is isn't a bad thing, but worrying about why they got it or why you don't have it is, worry about getting it not how or why they got it.
all killah: Jealousy is just admiration in disguise the sooner you realize this the better.
<b>metaphoric flow: Hip hop is expression, art is subjective, humility is necessary, jealously is destructive, method is the imperative, dedication should always be pursued. You believe in Jesus's philosophy and follow it strictly. Yet, you're still wack garbage, in the back of your mind, you know it. What should you do?</b>
all killah: First you need to question your motives. Are you doing this because its something you want to do & like doing or are you doing this because its something you've done & don't wanna give up on. If its the first realize cynicism is natural and don't just rely on your opinion because just as it can be bias for you it can also be bias against you find others that are open minded, critical, & objective & see what they think gauge the reaction & proceed from their if they disagree with you strongly maybe you've got the wrong opinion & should continue to progress if they agree with you try to figure out what you're doing wrong & how to change that. If its the second consider maybe its just not for you & gather opinions from others to see what they think. Then just take a step back and see what happens. If you eventually desire to come back to it continue work to improve, & if you don't desire to just let go, your time is probably best spent elsewhere doing something you want to do.
<b>metaphoric flow: How much emphasis do you place on being creative and thinking outside the box?</b>
all killah: Differentiating oneself is important but its a double edged sword being different just for the sake of being different is no different than trying to fit in just to fit in. I think its important to develop a unique style but if you find yourself second guessing your instincts constantly because something seems unoriginal or uncreative chances are you're going to far & need to relax.
<b>metaphoric flow: Many will argue that lyrically you're well-beyond the average artist. Tell us the secret to the Don's writing process also what you notice as weaknesses in others approaches.</b>
all killah: First I figure out what I wanna say and come up with a few lines I wanna incorporate into the verse/track. Then from their I just start writing using the rhyme scheme as the rhythm that keeps everything moving smoothly. I rarely really think too much about specifics after I start writing the verse I've been writing so long that everything just falls into place naturally. I hardly ever change a verse after I finish writing the only thing I really edit is typo's & memory slips where instead of writing the word I meant to I write something that sounds similar. I think the main weakness alotta others have is they focus too much on one aspect of writing & neglect all others so most of what they write isn't well rounded. Theirs those who just focus on multis and basically just rhyme words with no content, they worry about what rhymes with the previous string as opposed to whats the best way to convey what they wanna say. Then theres those who just focus on writing punchlines and neglect making the verse flow smoothly & having verses that look like they're just random bars pieced together. If you focus too much on one aspect chances are you're neglecting some other aspect thats just as important.
<b>metaphoric flow: Thanks for the incite. I also want to grill you about your audio situation. In our last interview, you claimed to have an EP on the way as well as many declarations in the past. Why haven't we got any recorded material from Drunken Jesus. I also want to know why you think its fair to scrutinize about every aspect of someones audio while not releasing anything for years.</b>
all killah: Mainly loss of interest, I'll start work on something & eventually just abandon it once I get another project in my mind. The main reason you haven't heard anything is only a few things I've done are up to my standard so it doesn't make too much sense to ask for criticism for something I myself notice alotta flaws in. Since I spend most of my free time producing I don't really have alotta time to work on rapping to get to the level where I can release something I'm satisfyed with. & I feel its fair to scrutinize every aspect of someones audio because its the same thing I'd expect of others if I rapped regularly and posted audios, I equate it to getting criticism on beats from people who don't produce.